1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems providing automatic triggering and delivery of stimuli, specifically to those that incorporate RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) techniques.
2. Background of the Invention
Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has benefited from the increased functionality and decreased costs of RFID tags and readers due to rapid expansion of the use of RFID systems for inventory, logistical tracking, and other supply chain and related functions. Expanded use of RFID tags in various formats for inventory and tracking means tags are relatively inexpensive (and in the future even more so due to in-process Wal-Mart and Department of Defense implementations) and thus their uses other applications economically practical. A passive RFID tag includes a chip and an antenna When exposed to and energized by radio-frequency (RF) energy from the RFID reader, the tag transmits its identification (possibly encrypted) which is captured by the RFID reader. A tag may have either read functionality or read/write functionality. In the latter case, data can be recorded (using its write mode) in the RFID tag itself that can be read by an RFID reader at a later time. An active RFID tag operates in the same manner as a passive RFID tag, except it has its own power source, say a battery. An active RFID tag and can be identified over long distances.
Tracking and event recording in the supply chain have been the major focus of RFID implementations. Intel has demonstrated technology (“RFID Chips Watch Grandma Brush Teeth,” NewScientist.com News Service, 11:50, Mar. 17, 2004) in which an elderly person wears a glove-embedded RFID reader (or perhaps a necklace or other convenient carrier) that detects objects that the subject touches and wirelessly communicates the unique IDs of those objects to a personal computer that records and timestamps the events. In some cases, an ordered series of object-event occurrences is used to infer the performance of complex tasks such as brushing teeth. Aversive or appetitive stimuli are not included in this system.
Feedback triggered due to human or animal behavior can provide a positive or negative stimulus. Positive or negative stimuli can be used to give an immediate sign or for behavior modification. An example of its application for the latter is alcoholism. In the case of aversion therapy, if a person touching a drink triggers a negative stimulus, then the stimulus is paired to the act and behavior thus modified. While one can ask the question why a person would put themselves into a situation where they would get such feedback, a large subset of addicts wish to quit (e.g., smokers) or are in controlled situations such as drug rehabilitation programs. If the feedback stimulus is electrical, the stimulus can be a tingling sensation; it need not be an electrical shock. Addictions that have been successfully with aversion-therapy stimuli include cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and nicotine. In these types of aversion therapy using counter conditioning, the aversive stimulus can either be manually triggered by the subject or by an observer.
The same principle can be used to control animal behavior. An example is providing a high-pitched sound aversive to a dog when the dog gets close to a forbidden area In an example in the prior art, a negative stimulus such as an electric shock has been triggered when a subject physically touches an object such as an electrified fence. In an alternative approach, Janning, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,643, “Method and apparatus for controlling the whereabouts of an animal”, teaches how an aversive stimulus is delivered to an animal if a predetermined boundary is encroached under predetermined conditions. Marischen, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,653, “Animal training method using positive and negative stimuli” provides for a positive or negative sound stimulus triggered manually by an observer where the sound emitter is either at the site of the observer or on a collar worn by the animal. In Custer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,744, “Animal control apparatus,” a portable receiver and stimulator is attached to an animal that is activated when the animal encroaches on a boundary and a related transmitter. These systems do not employ RFID tags.
Electronic-Impulse Counter-Conditioning (also known as Faradic aversion therapy) has been used in the treatment of alcoholism (Smith, J. W., & Frawley, P. J., “Long-Term Abstinence from Alcohol in Patients Receiving Aversion Therapy as Part of a Multimodal Inpatient Program,” Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 7:77-82, 1990), nicotine (Smith, J. W., “Long-Term Outcome of Clients Treated in a Commercial Stop Smoking Program,” Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 5:33-36, 1988), and methamphetamine and cocaine (Frawley, P. J., & Smith, J. W., “One-Year Follow-Up after Multimodal Inpatient Treatment for Cocaine and Methamphetamine Dependencies,” Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 9:271-286, 1992.).
Previous RFID patents related to RFID systems in medical systems include Yarin et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,380,858, “Systems and methods for monitoring patient compliance with medications” and Yarin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,999, “Systems and methods for monitoring compliance with medication regimens” both of which used medication containers with RFID tags and Smart Trays with RFID readers. The Smart Tray (a) provides signals to the patient of when to take medications and how much, (b) monitors when the medication container is removed, and (c) can communicate its report on patient compliance with or more parties such as healthcare provides or pharmacies.
Other medication dispensing inventions are addressed in De La Huerga, U.S. published patent applications 20010028308 and 20030099158, “Interactive medication container” which use the RFID tag as a container ID, alerts the patient to take the medicine, and records the time the container is removed from its place, Rand, U.S. patent application 20020189612, “Medicament dispenser,” and Bonney et al., U.S. patent application 20030079744, “Medicament dispenser,” from the same firm, that use the RFID tag to determine the identification of a medicament container, and Klein, U.S. published patent application 20020026330, “System and method for patient medication management and compliance using a portable computing device” which uses RFID tags to determine the identification of a medicament container. None of these incorporate stimuli used for behavioral modification.
Other health-related systems are Gutta et al., U.S. patent application 20020169583, “Automatic system for monitoring person requiring care and his/her caretaker” that checks patient status and uses an RFID tag associated with a subject in lieu of a biometric identifier such as a thumb print and Kaylor et al. U.S. patent application 20040078219 “Healthcare networks with biosensors” which uses RFID tags for product identification. Neither of these incorporate stimuli used for behavioral modification. In addition, neither RFID reader nor an RFID tag is ever on the subject.
Previous inventions in aversive therapy include Pope, U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,033, “Electronic smoking inhibiting device” which in response to the opening of a container containing cigarettes delivers an alarm sound after a predetermined delay period followed by a faradic shock. Regal, U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,449, “Enuresis treatment device” employs a urine-detection pad to detect bed wetting which causes the triggering of an aversive alarm. Another invention using aversive stimuli is Nemir, U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,404, “Apparatus for treating bruxism” that delivers an electric shock or an alarm in response to the user's bruxing events. In Israel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,211, “Apparatus for administering electrical aversive stimulus and associated method,” a therapist using a transmitter remotely triggers an aversive stimulus delivered to a subject via a receiver/stimulator driving an electrode. In Silverman, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,998, “Automatic operant conditioning system,” a biofeedback system is described in which the subject controls a variable such as posture that is measured and then processed by a microcomputer that compares the measurement to criteria and depending on the result a positive or negative stimulus (such as an audio tone) delivered. None of these inventions in the prior art use RFID tags.
In the domain of location of beings, Levine in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,334,073 and 6,154,676, “Internal monitoring and behavior system” determines whether a subject is inside or outside a defined area, and if the subject is outside that area, an internal system activates a stimulating electrode or chemical micropump to produce an aversive stimulus to the subject. Levine in U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,622, “Location monitoring via implanted radio transmitter” determines whether a subject is outside a given area, but does not provide for an aversive stimulus to be delivered but instead provides the information to a monitoring system. Again these inventions do not involve the use of RFID.